1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an advertising method using Internet electronic mail (e-mail) and chatting services and, in more particular, to an advertising method using Internet e-mail and chatting services, which pays a predetermined charge for viewing advertisements to users when they are provided with Internet e-mail service transmitting e-mails including the advertisements provided by advertisers, to thereby invite and display advertisements.
2. Description of the Related Art
In popularization of the Internet, the amount of advertisements using Internet home pages rapidly increases and markets are being extended. This advertising method using the Internet home pages is to pay a predetermined charge for viewing advertisements to users who sign in specific Internet services whenever advertisements are clicked when the users access the home pages of the Internet services and view the advertisements displayed thereon. This method provides the users with a part of advertising rates paid by their advertisers to secure lots of users who have signed in the services. Additionally, there are extending Internet services which provide free home pages to the users and allow them to use free e-mail accounts on the condition that the users sign in the Internet services and view advertisements displayed on the home pages. This rapidly raises the amount of usage of e-mail.
However, the Internet services described as above provide free services like e-mail services to the users and pay a predetermined charge for clicking the advertisements to them in case where the users view the advertisements displayed on the home pages. Further, the e-mail is used as a means for directly advertising specific products or services when it is employed for advertisements. This causes a flood of spam mails which are delivered to users who do not want them. This problem limits e-mail service and does not allow the e-mail, which has a potential of replacing facsimile service or postal service, to be effective used as an advertising medium.